Back in 1997, UbiSoft published a game developed by Criterion
studios called Redline Racer. It was a decent motorcycle racing
game that featured some of the most beautiful graphics at that
time. Now, Criterion and UbiSoft are back with Suzuki Alstare
Extreme Racing. Don't let the name fool you though, although this
one has the official Suzuki Alstare Team License (Redline Racer
didn't have any license), this game has little to do with its actual
title. Of course, it features real bike models and actual Alstare
team riders, but other than that, this game is just an improvement
of Redline Racer. UbiSoft could have easily called this one Redline
Racer 2 or something of the sort. In any case, Alstare Extreme
Racing is an overall fun and enjoyable title. Released
simultaneously on the Dreamcast, PC and Gameboy Color, it
features (like it's predecessor) amazing graphics and unusual
physics.

This game is definitely an arcade racing game and any attempt to
associate it with bike racing sims (as one might be inclined to do
in light of the Suzuki license) would be futile. The controls are very
simple and the physics are easy on the player. You don't fall off
your bike at every little bump to the side of the road; instead, you
jump in the air and leap over the obstacles (which can be anything
from a big rock, to a road barrier). When you do fall, your bike will
perform numerous pirouettes and hooplas in the air until hitting
the ground. Same goes for the poor rider. This physics model,
although highly unrealistic, proves to be most helpful when taking
a look at the type of tracks we are presented in this title.

In real life, super bikes usually ride on the road. Usually a closed
circuit reserved for the race, sometimes similar to Nascar tracks.
This is definitely not the case in Alstare Extreme Racing. The
tracks range all the way from sunny beaches to snowy mountains
and busy city streets. Veterans of Redline Racer would recognize
these types of tracks immediately. In fact, some tracks seem almost
identical to the ones in Redline Racer. Anyhoots, when one of
these speed bikes even tries to ride on a dirt road or sand, it
should not perform as well as you'd think. Again, not the case with
Alstare Extreme Racing, where you speed at 200+ mph on the
sandy beaches of 'Tropical Tail' and dodge various obstacles (rocks)
on the road at the same time.

The graphics are superb, and although they may not have the
photo-realistic quality and poly-count of EA's Superbike 2000, they
have a style of their own. They remind me more of the SEGA
arcade games (electric blue sky, sunlit sandy beaches), or the
Need for Speed series' diversity in tracks. Contrary to your average
bike sim, this game had very diverse track elements, such as
waterfalls, buildings canyons, etc.

Overall, this game is very suited to the arcade lover. It doesn't
have the realism and physics of a real bike game. If that's what
you're after, I suggest EA's Superbike 2000. It does have the fun
game-play and eye-candy that you'd expect from an arcade racer.
If you liked such games as Motoracer, ManxTT Superbike and
Redline Racer, you're bound to love Suzuki Alstare Extreme
Racing.